Anglepoint Vendor Specialization
It’s hard to imagine any business operating without technology. Technology comes in many forms and represents a significant, ongoing cost to businesses. Information Technology, and business software, in particular, are high cost, strategic investments. Software assists businesses to derive competitive advantage, automate and manage business processes, and leverage the power of data.
Most medium, large, and enterprise businesses will, no doubt, have large investments in the global vendors’ software products- especially vendors such as IBM, SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle. These vendors’ product ranges are vast by any measure; so too are the costs of the software and the complexity of their licensing terms and conditions. Collectively, these elements create a minefield for IT professionals to navigate, ensuring that products are correctly licensed and do not expose their company to under-licensing risks, which can lead to a costly settlement negotiation following a vendor audit. Conversely, over-licensing can tie up precious capital that could otherwise be deployed elsewhere in the business.
Whether you’re trying to manage and optimize your entire software estate or trying to mitigate the risks associated with key vendor audits, you need deep domain knowledge and experience to help realize your business objectives.
Not understanding vendor license supply terms and conditions can expose your organization to risks when the vendors undertake their license reviews and audits. Most often, when a vendor or auditor concludes an audit engagement, there is an under-licensing gap that must be paid for – the legalization gap. The size of these gaps can be hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars. In these instances, you need to be certain that the legalization amount (the monetary gap) the vendor is seeking is, in fact, correct and that you are not being forced to pay more than is contractually required. Undertaking your own process to check the details of the claimed under-licensing is fine, but if you do not have a full and comprehensive understanding of the license supply contract and the associated terms and conditions, you will not be able to properly review the audit results and identify potential errors. Augmenting your experience with a specialized team can be invaluable when a large legalization amount is on the line.
Anglepoint’s experience with helping clients manage their software estates is well known globally, especially around the more complex vendors such as IBM, SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle. These high-value vendors require expert knowledge to ensure that only required software is used, and that license agreement terms and conditions (T&Cs) are fully understood and applied to optimize license spend.
Anglepoint has specific and dedicated practices for IBM, SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle products, in addition to specialized expertise and experience with various other publishers. Many of Anglepoint’s experts were previously employed with these vendors and have worked for many years in software asset management, license management, and compliance across various industries and countries. Because of this, Anglepoint has deep and unique expertise around how each vendor’s licensing works, how license agreements are structured, and how the associated T&C’s are critical in realizing hidden benefits.
Engaging Anglepoint to assist you prior to an audit is preferred. However, Anglepoint can assist you in undertaking your own review of vendor audit results and apply our deep knowledge of licensing rules and contract terms. We can shed light on licensing rules which will mitigate future licensing risks and keep your organization compliant. This puts you in a strong position to negotiate with vendors, typically resulting in a significant reduction of legalization costs.
Anglepoint’s unique blend of specialization, skills, and expertise set us apart from our competitors. Contact us to learn how we can help your organization with your unique software needs. Reach out at info@anglepoint.com or schedule a free consultation meeting with Anglepoint.